Mountains beyond Mountains: Dr. Paul Farmer Essay example

“Strength lies in differences, not in similarities “- Stephen R Covery. Living in two different countries is an experience that is likely to open anyone mind. One raised in a smaller country, then moved to a larger country mixed with multiple culture is an experience not to be taking for granted. Full of hardships. Yet, despite lacking in the modern luxuries that are readily available in the United States, they also live a vibrant life full of flavorful food, music, dance, ritual and celebration. There are many differences in the way Haitians live in Haiti versus in America, including school, work, transportation, and environment and while not all of these differences are negative, it is obvious that the great disparity of wealth between the

Attention Getter: Who here has heard of the horrible plight of Haiti? Haiti has been through constant suffering everyday due to economic difficulty, lack of food, lack of clean water, hurricanes, and possibly everything that could go wrong with the world. I’m sure no one in their right mind would want to be there now but does anyone know how Haiti became as it is now. Well that’s what I’m about to tell you.

However, in Haiti’s case, it is so entrenched in debt that the government has problems far beyond water and sanitation. In 2008, Haiti was $1.85 billion in debt to other countries, and that figure is only growing (Varma et al., 2008, p. 68). Additionally, countries that were helping reconstruct the physical water system and infrastructure, such as the United States, have been backing out because they know it is unlikely Haiti will repay them. Failed international involvement is a crucial side-effect of a government in disarray. Other nations do not trust Haiti and do not want to enter the scene of turmoil. Consequently, such a shortage of financial resources is harming multiple facets of Haitian lives. For example, the country does not even know how much water it requires for self-sufficiency because the government has not allocated funds to research and development (Stoa, 2015, p. 5). Moreover, water transportation is currently ineffective. The natural geographic location of individuals relative to the water supply puts the metropolitan areas at an advantage. Wealthier individuals have cisterns and can pay a premium for water whereas rural residing Haitians often travel on foot carrying their water in buckets (Varma et al., 2008, p. 70). However, developing more efficient water distribution procedures for the population at large is costly and requires funding the government cannot

In Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure The World by Tracy Kidder, Kidder denounces both the current global distribution of wealth and how the international community views medical aid in needy countries; he does this by including a scene in which Haitians believe that their illness exists because they’ve been cursed, and that Dr. Paul Farmer is the only person who can release the curse. This frustration is expressed when Farmer states that “Haitians believe in sorcery because their culture has evolved in the absence of effective medicine. So of course they believe in sorcery, in sicknesses that someone has sent to them” (Kidder). The fact that such a large group of people are so far behind in medical

When someone imagines a hero they usually think of a person that has superpowers or a famous person that made an impact on society and mass amount of people. But a hero can be as simple as someone who helps others and in the eyes of others is looked up to. In Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder, Paul Farmer a doctor, is this hero. His beliefs and ideas impacts the lives of many and his actions help many people around him. His commitment to the “long defeat” is what helps Farmer in his decision making to treat patients and win.

“Sometimes the skies turn barren and will not rain.”(Sometimes, the Earth is Cruel John Pitts.) When Pitt said this it made me think not just the actual skies, but to think about life. Sometimes seems like it will never let you get a break from the struggles, but if you just keep pushing on you will soon find something that will help you. We know people that break down when they are handed a hardship, but we also see people that will adapt to the struggle and work around it, there back to the we are never handed more than we can handle. “Bad enough, Haiti is wretchedly poor.” (Sometimes, the Earth is Cruel John Pitts). Haiti itself may look poor, but the people that live there are people that know how to live and make a living off of the little thing that the Earth gives

Starvation is a huge issue in Haiti. One child dies every six seconds from the scarce amounts of food here. Poverty in Haiti is the leading cause of the lacking amounts of food for children here. This picture saddens me to think that there are children in other places around the world dying from something that I wouldn't even think of dying from. Food is something so plentiful in America; it's so normal to come home from school or where ever I am during the day and have food available to me. In some countries, like Haiti, they are blessed to get a small portion of food a day. Some children there don't have access to food for weeks at a time. it's really sad to know that my own country; (America) has so much food and a lot of access to it, and we don't majorly help out Haiti. We have helped them out by sending food but that doesn't solve the problem of millions of people. How did Haiti become so poor?

Dr. Farmer noted in the Mountains beyond Mountains book (2003) written by Tracey Kidder, that Haiti has increased rates of infant mortality, tuberculosis, malnutrition, HIV and AIDS. In an article published by Sophie Arie; titled What’s next for Haiti’s healthcare? (2011) notes that, “Haiti has the highest rates of infant, under-five and maternal mortality in the Western hemisphere. Diarrhea, respiratory infections, malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS are the leading causes of death” (Arie 2011, 340).

It’s safe to say that Haiti is poor. Especially compared to the U.S. One of the causes for Haiti being so poor just happens to be humans. They are entrenched in greed and power. The rulers there have ensured Haiti’s despair. Things like soil erosion, bad education system, illiteracy, unemployment, inadequate roads, water systems, sewerage, and medical services are also some of the causes of Haiti’s despair. The international community also has a lot to do with Haiti being so poor. But the main root of Haiti’s problems comes from their government. The rulers there have used beatings, killings, illegal

Haiti is usually depicted as a place of disorganization, chaos or unrest. With the various issues facing Haiti, we can categorize them into the different social science disciplines. Some of the social science disciplines that I would use to try and figure out main issues facing Haiti are: the history, the economics and the political science.

Despite the geographical, economical, cultural difference between the US and Haiti, the books told a stories that parallel one another. Each book described the experience of a doctor driven by the fundamental moral concept of health care as human right who aimed to correct the affects of structural violence in society through provision of medical care. Overall the books highlight the need for people with high social awareness level like Paul Farmer and David Ansell in the public health field in order to make universal healthcare a reality.

Haiti is currently in a predicament that most country’s dream they never have to face. On January 12, 2010 disaster struck this already struggling nation.Death totals topped 200,000 and reliable industries and structures were destroyed, leaving the nation in a tough situation. Five years after the catastrophic earthquake which ravaged Haiti in 2010, killing over 200,000 people and leaving 1.5 million homeless, despite a massive international humanitarian and cooperation effort, the country remains the poorest of the Western hemisphere, and is prey to political instability.

The theme, both people and nature are cruel applies to the haitians. When it comes to the topic of economy on Haiti, most people would agree it’s a poor

Growing up Paul Farmer was surrounded by poverty and a fair amount of everyday difficulty.4 Rather than being limited by his childhood circumstance, Farmer thrived and earned a full scholarship to Duke University, where he became enthralled with learning more about the country of Haiti. Following graduation, Farmer went to Haiti to better understand the culture of the country he had become so interested in. While working at an eye clinic he met future co-founder of Partners in Health Ophelia Dahl.4

Upon arriving, I was immediately struck by my surroundings. Driving through the streets on my way to visit the Home for the Dying or the children’s orphanage allowed me to see the poverty right before my eyes. I saw sights I will never forget: homeless families huddled on each street corner, their eyes filled with sadness and fatigue, their dirty, ripped clothes and calloused bare feet; an older man digging through the garbage alleyways with a shovel in hopes of salvaging some food or items; dirty pigs and dogs roaming around, and the horrible stench of the polluted air and garbage filling the atmosphere. To hear of and see images of poverty was one thing, but to actually be living and be immersed in the culture was completely different. However, being surrounded by such a harsh reality was a very humbling experience. Haiti is a very special place.